It has been the Czechs over the past decade that have kept the eastern flag flying though only in the European championships where they reached the final in 1996 and the last four in 2004.

Bulgaria and Croatia both reached the last four of the World Cup in 1994 and 1998 but the former side has slipped alarmingly and along with former World Cup stalwarts Russia and Romania did not even make it to the football festival here.

Now Serbia and Montenegro and Poland have joined them in World Cup exile as they exited in humiliating fashion from the first stage -- while Croatia and Ukraine's hopes are not looking rosy after their first matches.

While the ageing Czechs go into battle with Ghana on Saturday buoyed by an impressive 3-0 opening win over the United States the remainder have been left licking their wounds.

None more so than the Serbia and Montenegro side, playing together for the last time before they separate.

They came to Germany with high hopes of making it through Group C or the group of death having conceded just one goal in the qualifying section.

However the 6-0 demolition by Argentina exposed their limitations brutally and left the former eastern bloc countries, aside from the Czechs, with a record of played five won none, scored none and conceded 14.

Serbian coach Ilija Petkovic while unselfishly putting down the Argentine humiliation to himself said that the difference between the qualifiers and the finals was immense.

"It's another story. They are two different things entirely, playing the qualifiers and the finals," said the 60-year-old.

"Perhaps we weren't capable of handling it," added Petkovic, whose campaign was riven with internal disputes beginning with when he tried to draft his son into the squad but he had to back down.

Poland had a proud record in World Cup finals prior to the defrosting of the Cold War -- twice semi-finalists -- but managed the singular feat this time round of exiting at the same stage as in 2002.

"Of course I made mistakes," said embattled coach Pawel Janas, a member of the 1982 semi-finalists side.

"Only people who do nothing make no mistakes.

"What I could do, I did. Maybe someone could have done better but, sorry, I did it my way," added Janas, who has been lambasted in the press and by fans back in Poland.

Croatia at least have got the hardest match out of the way, and the manner in which they lost 1-0 to defending champions Brazil suggests that the final group match against Australia will be the decider as to whether they progress or not.

However the high hopes of Ukraine after they qualified easily have been shattered by the opening 4-0 thrashing by Spain and they may be thankful that the other two teams in the group Tunisia and Saudi Arabia are not exactly heavyweights.

Perhaps the best summation of the former Eastern bloc's frustration at their lack of success at the World Cup in recent times was reflected in a poll taken in Russia prior to the event of who would win it -- six percent of those polled said Russia would.